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Thursday, March 14, 2013

Blogging Conferences: Are they important? {Think About It!}

A few months after I began blogging more for me, and less just about the kids, I heard that they had conferences for bloggers. All over the country bloggers gather together to learn, pick the minds of professionals, and network.

Think About It!

In just about every line of work, professionals gather together in some type of conference to learn and grow. So why wouldn't bloggers do the same? For many of us, we use our blogs as a source of income for our families. Sometimes it's just for that little extra, and sometimes it's how a blogger supports their family.

I may have thought at one point that a conference for bloggers was kind of silly. Then I started having companies and brands contact me to review their products. I had no idea that was even an option for bloggers at the time. I was pretty thrilled. Someone actually wanted to know what I thought about a product. 2 years have gone by since I began blogging as more of a job then just a hobby and I have learned so much, but a conference would teach me so much more!

Think About It!

If I could go to a blogging conference, oh the things I would learn! I'd start by attending every single session on every topic humanly possible. I'd equip myself with notebooks and a stash of pencils (because face it, I'm still old fashioned when it comes to taking notes).

But blogging is so easy Adelina! All you do is write and take pictures.

True, that's all you see. There is just so much more than that though. I won't lie, my writing could use a bit of a boost. I usually have to write up a rough draft (hello my notebooks), then rewrite it on the computer, and finally edit and re-edit. Sometimes a post sits in draft for a few days before I finish it. I really only want to share the best. Attending a conference would equip me to become even better.

Then there's the photography. At a blogging conference there is sure to be a photography class. Even if I can't afford tons of fancy equipment, I know I can learn how to make my pictures stand out. It takes time to get the right angle, right lighting, and then edit them to pop it even more!

Not only have these amazing bloggers become my blogging friends, and pushed me to improve, they have one other thing in common. They all have the #CBias tag in many of their posts. Was that just coincidence? I don't think so! .

Think About It!

I #LuvSoFab! The Collective Bias Community, aka Social Fabric, must be doing something right if I ended up following all these blogs for their great content and pretty pictures. When I read their "reviews", I don't feel like I'm reading a users manual, but an actual persons opinion on a product. They suck you in with their writing, and make you want to pin every image (and yes I have a pinning problem....).

Did you know? This is the first year Collective Bias is putting together a conference? I want to go!!! I would get to meet my favorite bloggers, and become a better blogger myself. Here's the kicker for me - #SoFabCon is being held in Bentonville, AK. Do you know what that means? Home of Walmart! And since you can buy just about anything at Walmart, it also means the home of many Brands! Brands I would love to talk to, pick their CEO minds and create lasting relationships with.

Think About It!

If you could attend a conference where you can connect with people that would make your business better, wouldn't you do it? That is what #SoFabCon would do for me.

After attending a conference I would come back renewed, with excitement bursting from the seams of this page, picture you would all want to pin like crazy, and content truly worth reading. The most important thing I would learn and bring from conference though, is how to better manage my time around blogging, to maximize my time with family.

Mark actually made a comment the other day that had me say inside - Think About it.

"Sometimes I think you take more pictures of food then you do our kids"

I honestly hope that's not true, but when I go through my pictures, it's not just food, but products, the house, random pictures of random things, and not so many of the kids. I want that back, and I know attending a conference would help me prioritize, get back the moments with my kids, and still create quality content for Home Maid Simple that people love.

5 comments:

Yay!! I think heading to #SoFabCon would be amazing for you from a learning standpoint and of course for my own selfish reasons would LOVE to get to see you and have a fun weekend with all the girls we both know :) I hope you get this Adelina!!

Oh Sweeetie! I have been telling you for a long time that you needed to go to a blogging conference and this sounds like it would be perfect for you!!! You are an awesome Sister and an incredible mother and wife! You deserve to go and learn more about your other love Blogging!! Good Luck!!

I've never gone to a blogging conference, but would love to! My husband - a fantastic photographer - takes the photos for my blog, but he's starting a 9 - 5 job next week after retiring for a few years and now I'm out a photographer! I love to take a photography class at a conference because there is no such animal locally.